Israel announces, welcomes Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard's release from U.S. prison

Jonathan Pollard, Israeli spy, is free from prison
(Image credit: AP/YouTube)

Early Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. Navy analyst arrested in 1985 for passing huge amounts of U.S. intelligence and classified documents to Israel, has been released from a federal prison in Butner, North Carolina. The U.S. intelligence community had strongly opposed Pollard's release on parole, arguing that he did immense harm to U.S. security and probably compromised undercover U.S. agents, but Pollard is considered a hero by many Israelis.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.